E! Producer Claims She Was Fired Over Red-Carpet Interview Where Eva Longoria Stood Up for Catt Sadler

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Adding to E!’s no good, very bad week, a producer now claims she was fired for airing a red-carpet interview critical of the network during this year’s Golden Globes, the New York Times reports. According to the complaint, Aileen Gram-Moreno says she was told to vet all interviews mentioning Catt Sadler that night after an interview with Debra Messing aired in which the actress slammed the network over the alleged pay discrepancy that led to Sadler quitting as host. But Gram-Moreno says an interview with Eva Longoria, which ended with the actress saying “We stand with you, Catt,” accidentally slipped through the cracks due to the high volume of interviews. After it aired, Gram-Moreno says she texted an apology to her executive producer who told her it was difficult to avoid, but then five days later, says she received a call from another executive producer that she was fired from all upcoming red-carpet jobs, including the Oscars. Gram-Moreno claims she was told it was because of the Longoria interview that mentioned Sadler.

Adam Stotsky, president of E! Entertainment, tells the Times that the network did not ask to censor its coverage, but that they did want to be alerted of interviews referencing Sadler. He claims that Gram-Moreno was released from her freelance contract due to a “pattern of poor performance,” including failure to “screen all of the assets completely” at the Globes. Gram-Moreno filed a legal complaint after she says E! declined to pay her for the shows she would have worked; she also notes that the network replaced her with a man who was given a higher title. This latest controversy comes amid a firestorm over sexual-assault allegations against Ryan Seacrest, whom E! has remained committed to hosting this Sunday’s Oscars red carpet despite complaints.